Five Big Ten Schools Selected For NCAA Volleyball Tournament

2023 NCAA Volleyball Tournament Bracket

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference had five member institutions chosen to compete in the 2023 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship, it was announced Sunday evening. Nebraska, Wisconsin, Purdue, Penn State and Minnesota earned berths to this year’s 64-team NCAA Tournament, which begins Thursday, Nov. 30, at campus sites around the country. The tournament culminates with the NCAA Final Four Dec. 14 and 17 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.

Nebraska and Wisconsin each earned No. 1 seeds in this year’s tournament and will host through the regional finals.

Current Big Ten programs have won a total of 13 national championships, including 10 while competing as a member of the conference.

With Sunday’s announcement, Penn State has now been chosen for all 43 NCAA tournaments since the event debuted in 1981. The Nittany Lions remain the only program that has competed in every NCAA volleyball tournament to date.

Nebraska (28-1, 19-1) will be competing in the NCAA Tournament for the 42nd time, earning the Big Ten’s automatic qualification into this year’s tournament after clinching the program’s fourth-ever Big Ten title and first since 2017. The Huskers earned a No. 1 seed after finishing 28-1 overall and 19-1 in Big Ten play. Nebraska led the nation in attendance once again this season and will open at home at 8 p.m. on Friday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center with a first-round match against Long Island.

Wisconsin (26-3, 17-3) is making its 27th NCAA Tournament appearance and 11th in a row after finishing second in the Big Ten this season. The Badgers will start this year’s tournament at 8:30 p.m. (ET) Thursday, hosting Jackson State. The other first-round match at the UW Field House is between No. 8 Northern Iowa and Miami.

Purdue (21-8, 15-5) appears in its 25th NCAA Tournament and 18th in the past 20 seasons, earning the No. 3 seed in its quadrant of the bracket. The Boilermakers have drawn Fairfield for their tournament opener at 7 p.m. (ET) Thursday in West Lafayette, Ind., with the winner playing either sixth-seeded Marquette or Eastern Illinois.

Penn State (21-8, 15-5) continues its tournament appearance streak after tying for third in the Big Ten rankings this year. The Nittany Lions have won a Big Ten-best seven national titles and have reached 14 Final Fours, most recently in 2017. Penn State will start its latest postseason journey with a first-round match at 5:30 p.m. (ET) Thursday against Yale, while fourth-seeded Kansas or Omaha are waiting in round two.

Minnesota (16-12, 12-8) earned its 28th bid to the NCAA Tournament and 23rd in the last 24 years. The Golden Gophers have six Final Fours to their credit, most recently in 2019, and will begin this year’s tournament on Friday vs. No. 6 Utah State at 5 p.m. (ET). Should Minnesota advance, the Golden Gophers will meet No. 3 Creighton or Colgate in the second round.

Television coverage for NCAA Tournament matches prior to the semifinals will be announced at a later date. The NCAA Final Four semifinals will be televised live Dec. 14 on ESPN with the national championship match broadcast live on Dec. 17 on ABC.